Group of students refused entry to Leicester nightclub 'because they are black'

The doorman at Ghost Nightclub said that if he had it his way he wouldn't have a problem with letting them in but it was the club's rules, claim students

Alexander Ward
Friday 22 May 2015 15:52 BST
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Kosi Orah (right) with a friend in Leicester to celebrate his birthday
Kosi Orah (right) with a friend in Leicester to celebrate his birthday

A doorman has been suspended after a group of Leicester students alleged that they were prevented entering a nightclub on because they were black.

Kosi Orah, 19, was celebrating his birthday with friends on 17 May, when they queued to get into the nightclub at around 2am on Sunday.

Now a grainy video has emerged, in which a doorman outside Ghost Nightclub in Leicester appears to agree with the students saying: “I have no problems with you guys at all, but that is the rules of the club”.

When confronted by one of the students, who asks “It is because we’re black?”, the doorman, who has not been identified, seems to say: “Yes, that’s what I am saying”.

According to Mr Orah, a first-year economics student at Leicester University, the group was told they couldn’t come in as there was “a quota of the number of black people allowed in the club”.

Mr Orah told the Sun: “He was almost apologetic. But it was sickening. It left us devastated. It was like the kind of incident you heard about happening in parts of America in the 1960s.”

The nightclub has since issued a statement apologising to Mr Orah and his friends, reiterating that they welcome people of all races and ethnicities.

A spokesperson for Ghost Nightclub said: “We sincerely and unreservedly apologise to all those involved, his friends and the citizens of Leicester.

“We feel strongly that the member of security who is suspended acted out of character and as a matter of urgency, all staff will be given refresher training of our policies and performance expectations.

“It is not the policy of Ghost Nightclub to have any quota in place or deny any customer entry based on race or ethnicity.

“We are however, a small venue in high demand with limited capacity and at times are not able to accommodate large groups of males, especially late on.”

A Leicestershire police spokesperson told The Independent: "We can confirm that the incident has been reported to Leicestershire Police, it's been recorded as a racist incident and enquiries are ongoing into the report.

"Leicestershire Police takes reports of racism extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who has been a victim of such a crime to contact them."

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